Spain’s Princess Cristina has become the first member of the country’s royal family to be put on trial on Monday. She is charged with being an accomplice in an alleged embezzlement scam involving her husband and 16 other defendants, who have all denied the charges. The 50-year-old faces eight years in jail if found guilty by a panel of three judges in Majorca.

Cristina arrived at the court in Palma with her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, who is accused of embezzlement and money laundering. They did not speak to reporters. Her lawyer said the case against her should be thrown out.

The princess sat at the back of a makeshift courtroom at the public administration school in Palma. Her husband sat in the same row, but they were not sitting together due to court rules. Cristina’s brother King Felipe VI of Spain stripped her of dukedom in June 2015 when he removed her title “Duchess of Palma,” which she received from their father, Juan Carlos I, when she married in 1997

Though the 47-year-old Spain sovereign stripped his sister of Dukedom, she is still sixth in line to the Spanish throne.

Meanwhile, it has been alleged that Urdangarin’s supposedly non-profit Noos Institute sports foundation was used as a vehicle to win falsely inflated contracts from regional government bodies. Then the money was channeled to personal accounts via tax havens. Noos is alleged to have received more than $6.5m of public money, most of it from the Balearic Islands and Valencia regional governments.

If he is found guilty, he could face 19 years and six months in jail. It has also been alleged that as a co-owner of a real estate company Aizoon with her husband, Cristina used the funds of the organization for personal use. With that money she paid for clothes and dance lessons for her kids and as well as work on the couple’s Barcelona mansion..

The case was launched in 2010 by a judge investigating corruption among Balearic Islands officials. Cristina’s involvement in the tax fraud has caused major embarrassment to the Spanish royal family.

Here is the story and link: http://www.ibtimes.com/spains-princess-cristina-being-tried-fraud-along-olympian-husband-2262645

A member of a Royal family in Spain is being tried for embezzling money and inflating contracts.
As a Nigerian just think about it....Royal family (Should be untouchable) Spain (Proving why it is a Developed Country) Trial (Win Win).
The total amount the Princess was said to have embezzled with her husband was up to 7 million Euros and she is being tried. Look at that figure again, 7 million. Imagine! and there are crooks in this country that have taken 100 times that amount. There are some politicians, business men, common folks and of course traditional ruling families walking around town unchecked despite the financial atrocities that have been committed against the good people of this country. Why steal? Let's be realistic If one intends to steal why not steal a million. Why does one need to steal 500 million, 200 million or 50 million. 5 million is even more than enough.
In Nigeria where up is down and down is up, when we know corruption stares us in the face, we allow these culprits to walk away from court cases because there is no evidence. No evidence? Is the judiciary in this country sound at all? Outsiders say Nigeria is corrupt, you yourself can see that the country is corrupt, yet they continually throw out court cases because legal experts on the good side of the law are "not experts at all?" Do you really expect a Nigerian criminal occupying a prestigious position or title to leave evidence when it comes to diverting public funds? I am not a criminal but I always have a Plan B, so why won't a public servant dealing with something as sensitive as public money have a Plan B.

This continuous act of frustration equally created by those criminals and those entrusted to uphold the law seems intentional possibly because I am a sheep and some of my fellow Nigerians are sheep too. Look at the records how may times have "they" gotten away with "it".

I am a sheep that is evolving, I no longer want grass I want blood!

Okay

Here in naija na chieftancy title ooo

u will hear ''high chief this''
''his royal highness that''

Eg... ''High chief AIT''... I no name name ooo

The difference between Spain and Nigeria lies in the fact that in Spain, one can't wheel out the old "na our daughter"/"na my person"/"na my kinsman" defense Nigerians always bring up to protect one of their own.

omohayek:
The difference between Spain and Nigeria lies in the fact that in Spain, one can't wheel out the old "na our daughter"/"na my person"/"na my kinsman" defense Nigerians always bring up to protect one of their own.

exactly

omohayek:
The difference between Spain and Nigeria lies in the fact that in Spain, one can't wheel out the old "na our daughter"/"na my person"/"na my kinsman" defense Nigerians always bring up to protect one of their own.

But here is the thing, corruption and connections exist in all forms in every single country around the world. But Spain and developed countries in general have taken the "everything in moderation route".

HighPhar0ah:


But here is the thing, corruption and connections exist in all forms in every single country around the world. But Spain and developed countries in general have taken the "everything in moderation route".

The question you have to ask yourself is why exactly corruption is more moderate in Spain, and even more so in places like Singapore - and one major factor explaining the difference is that in Nigeria and most of Africa, it is all too easy for crooked politicians to hide behind tribalism. It's really quite mystifying that it is the very people from whom the politicians have stolen who rush to their defense for free, but it is what it is. Call it tribal Stockholm Syndrome.

omohayek:


The question you have to ask yourself is why exactly corruption is more moderate in Spain, and even more so in places like Singapore - and one major factor explaining the difference is that in Nigeria and most of Africa, it is all too easy for crooked politicians to hide behind tribalism. It's really quite mystifying that it is the very people from whom the politicians have stolen who rush to their defense for free, but it is what it is. Call it tribal Stockholm Syndrome.

Which is why it is better to split so u deal with ur fellow countrymen of same origin and no one can accuse anyone of whipping up tribal sentiments since it's obvious oneness is not happening in Nigeria.

omohayek:


The question you have to ask yourself is why exactly corruption is more moderate in Spain, and even more so in places like Singapore - and one major factor explaining the difference is that in Nigeria and most of Africa, it is all too easy for crooked politicians to hide behind tribalism. It's really quite mystifying that it is the very people from whom the politicians have stolen who rush to their defense for free, but it is what it is. Call it tribal Stockholm Syndrome.

I do not know why it is moderate elsewhere. Tribal Stockholm Syndrome? Who rushes to the thieves defense, close associates but not entire populations of tribes. The recent stoning of Saraki when he went to mosque in Kwara is an example. And if a criminal is being defended that is because he may have done this or that to better peoples lives and the evidence is there through the solid infrastructures left behind. Fashola for example they say did wonders in Lagos, but I do not know if he had his share of the National pie. When Fashola was summoned to explain the bill for the Lagos website or to explain the boreholes bill I believe everyone in the country wanted him to answer for it.

I said some of us are sheep but some sheep use their brains and will not call left right or right wrong.

omohayek:


The question you have to ask yourself is why exactly corruption is more moderate in Spain, and even more so in places like Singapore - and one major factor explaining the difference is that in Nigeria and most of Africa, it is all too easy for crooked politicians to hide behind tribalism. It's really quite mystifying that it is the very people from whom the politicians have stolen who rush to their defense for free, but it is what it is. Call it tribal Stockholm Syndrome.

Nigeria is full of different tribes and ethnic group. if they can imitate the government pattern of UK or UAE, otherwise disintegration. It will help to terminate the injustice and nepotism that has impoverished the servitude of the country.

"Live our Princess Alone"

In Spain, d more u look, the more u see but in Nigeria, d more u look, d less u see.

No, that's persecution. She's being witch-hunted. Witch-hunt in foreign land. Is it because she's a princess and possibly from the south-eastern part of spain? Oh no!

omohayek:


The question you have to ask yourself is why exactly corruption is more moderate in Spain, and even more so in places like Singapore - and one major factor explaining the difference is that in Nigeria and most of Africa, it is all too easy for crooked politicians to hide behind tribalism. It's really quite mystifying that it is the very people from whom the politicians have stolen who rush to their defense for free, but it is what it is. Call it tribal Stockholm Syndrome.

TRUE..


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Phame:
No, that's persecution. She's being witch-hunted. Witch-hunt in foreign land. Is it because she's a princess and possibly from the south-eastern part of spain? Oh no!

Lol.

nice

A sane society

kenny987:


Which is why it is better to split so u deal with ur fellow countrymen of same origin and no one can accuse anyone of whipping up tribal sentiments since it's obvious oneness is not happening in Nigeria.

Here is the thing, those that came to colonize us were one people. As a mater of fact majority of the European colonizers are one people. Look at Spain and Portugal for example they speak Spanish yet they identify themselves differently. But the sheep that some of us are accepted Nigeria without questioning. Maybe we should look to the Russian federation for help on this one.

Nigeria is one of the greatest experiments in recent times.

coolzeal:
Nigeria is full of different tribes and ethnic group. if they can imitate the government pattern of UK or UAE, otherwise disintegration. It will help to terminate the injustice and nepotism that has impoverished the servitude of the country.

Disintegration may be the answer. But after the initial disintegration know that there will be further disintegration in that particular state. It is a slippery slope. Differences will always exist and those who are different will always want their own autonomy even if an entire population speaks English, for example change in the English accent - the next thing you know is I want my own Ireland, I want my own Scotland and I want my own England, I want my own Wales.

But if that is the way to go to at least reduce injustice in this world then I am all for it.